Sheet-powdering machine



April 23, 1929. LIPSIUS SHEET rowmsnme maxim-J Filed Nov. 16, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 23, 1929. pslus 1,710,059

SHEET POWDERI'NG MACHINE Filed Nov. 16, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 23, 1929. .5, psyus 1,710,059

SHEET POWDERI NG MACHI NE Filgd Nov. 16, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES SAMUEL! LIPSIUS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHEET-POWDERING MACHINE.

Application filed November 16', 1925. Serial No. 69,283.

Embossed or engraved effects are produced by printing the desired copy, applyinga suit-- able powder to the printed sheet, removing the excess powder from the printed portion of the sheet, and then baking the sheet so as to ix or set the powder. The powder employed is lai'g etv resinous in its natureor oit sliellaclilie material, and as this is very finely divided it is quite di'flicult to handle and has a tendency to lump and become sticky particularly in damp and warm weather so that it 1s extremely dillicult to apply it where desired and even more dillicult to remove it from places where it is not desired.

The main object of this invention is to provide a simple, compact and reliable mechanism for printing, applying powder to the printed sheets, ri-in'ioving excess powder and baking the sheets to produ e embossed e'llect-s.

A more specific object is to provide a ma chine of this character which can be operated at high speed and with a minimum of supervision.

Tn carrying out the invention I utilize the principles of some of my prior patents. I provide a horizontal moving wire mesh belt which constitutes a conveyor for the sheets which have been printed with suitable ink. The printed sheets may be deposit-ed on the conveyor by hand or automatically from the printing press, but in the latter case a separate chute is provided to receive the printed sheet and discharge it on the conveyor calling to the powdering apparatus. Above the conveyor is located 'a hopper or feed device from which the embossing powder is discharged upon the sheets as they pass beneath it. The material in this hopper is vibrated so as to ensure the passage of a line, thin. stream of the powder uniformly and without sticking or clogging. Aft-er the powder has been deposited on the sheets, the sheets are subjected to treatment for removing the excess of powder. This may be accomplished in several ways for instance by means of air blasts.

Beneath the conveyor I provide a receptacle :tor receiving the powder which has not adhered permanently to the sheets. The powder which has not been used passes to the bottom of this receptacle and the powder is reconveyed to the hopper by means of a belt or chain having buckets, which conveyor disan inclined chute i charges into a distributor in the upper part of the hopper.

The powderordinarily employed is eX- 5 tremely fine and it not controlled would be blown or sift-ed outside of the machine would inconvenience the operators and waste powder. 1 therefore prefer to house the hopper and the conveyor and provide a suction device which. will immediately remove the particles the printed sheets. As the sheets pass from the machine they may be discharged directly upon the conveyor leading to the usual heater or oven forbalringg orheating.

Fig. 1 is a side view of one term of machine embodying the improvements of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an endview and partial vertical section of the same.

F 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the general plane of the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is an enlarged detail view of the hopper.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side view showing the connection between a printing press and the powdercr.

The conveyor 5 is preferably formed of:

woven wire mesh driven in any suitable man ner. The sheets to be powdered may be deposited either directly on this conveyor or from the discharge chute 6 leading from a printing press delivery or from the conveyor 6 which receives the printed sheet from the press. The powdered sheet is discharged by to another conveyor 8 which leads to the oven 9.

Power may be supplied from motor 10 which drives a shaft 11. This shaft 1]. drives anther shaft 12 from which the roller 13 is driven and which in turn drives the con veyer 5. l

The powder supply is initially placed in the receptacle 14!: which is located below the conveyor and at one side of the machine or the powder 1313.}; be placed in hopper 15 which extends entirely across the conveyor and has a narrow slot at the bottom formed between two inclined plates 16 and 17. These plates should be quite stiff and perfectly straight along their meeting line. preferably vertically adjustable so as to vary the permissive opening at the bottom. Theplate 1'7 may also be vertically adjust-able but is secured at its upper end at 18 quite rigidly to the hopper so that it may act as a spring plate. Beneath the hopper is located a shaft 19 which hasone orniore shoulders which serve to engage the lower edge of the plate 17 and vibrate it as the shaft 19 is rotated. The discharge slot 20 need be only approximately from 1/ 16th to 3/16ths of an inch wide. The vibration caused by the'rotation of theshaft 19 vibrates the powder in the hopper so that the powder which is discharged into the hopper is sifted through the slot continuously in a very fine or thin stream. The vibrator shaft 19 may be rotated by a belt 21 from the roller 13.

The conveyor 22 may be suitable bucket type conveyer which dips into the receptacle 14 at the bottom and is driven from a shaft 23 and belt 24 from shaft 11. Above the hopper is located a distributor head 25 which is connected to the tube 26 which contains the conveyor As the powder is thrown from the conveyer 22 into the discharge head 25 it passes into the hopper 15. To insure uniform distribution l prefer to provide one or more inclined partitions such as 27 in the dis tributor headf Beneath the sheet conveyor 5 I provide an inclined chute 28 which leads to the powder receptacle 1% so that- 'the powder discharged from the hopper 15 and which does not remain on the sheets is returned to the receptacle 14.

In the form of machine herein shown I prefer to provide an air blast for removing the eXcess or surplus powder from the sheets on the conveyor 5. This air blast may be produced byan air pump or blower 30 driven by any suitable source of power. Above the sheet convey-er 5 I provide a discharge pipe 31 with outlets in position. so that the air may be discharged angularly'in the direction of the arrows as shown in F 3 downwardly and against the direction of travel of tie sheets. This discharge pipe 31 is connected by pipe 32 to the blower 30. As the sheets travel forwardly with the conveyor 5 the air currents from the discharge pipe 31 generally force the unattached or non-adher ng powder along the sheet so that when the sheet passes under the pipe 31 all excess powder has been removed. Ipreferably provide baffle plates such as 33 and 34 to deflect the powder which may otherwise tend to move outward through the inlet end of'the machine.

Above the conveyer 5 and entirely surrounding the hopper 15 and the air pipe 31 I preferably provide a hood 35, the sides of The plate 16 is sures not only a uniform distribution of moval of all excess powder and saves which are connected to the sides of the collecting chute 28. To this hood I attach a pipe 36 and connect it to a suitable evacuating or exhausting means such as the blower 30 so that any particlesof powder floating in the air above the conveyor 5 will be immediately withdrawn and prevented from settling on the sheets which are passing through the machine. It should be understood of course that the s; eed of the conveyor 5 may be regulated as desired and that the speed of the blower may be regulated so as to provide more or less air pressure for removing the excess powder from the p ed sheets. it a so be understood that the rate of vibration may be adjusted by controlling the speed of ro ation of the shaft 19. In fact with some cl: :ses of powder and when the air is very dry the apparatus will operate satisfactoi 3 without requiring very much vibration. it valve 37 may be provided in the exhaust pipe if desired for partly controlling the suction. The supplemental suction connection may be cf fected at 38 if desired and controlled by a valve 39.

I prefer to provide the metal chute 0 int mediate the canvas conveycr (5 and the wire mesh conveyor so as to prevent po'a'der from the powder er from collecting on the conveyer 6 which leads from the printing press. This has been found to e very important since otherwise in a days run a very considerable amount of powder may be carried back to the printing press and inter re "ith the s iactory operation of the combined mac Thechute 6 may be readily cleaned. Y

The apparatus will be seen to be simple in construction and operation. ly having the sheet conveyer 5 travel horizontally it is possible to make the machine quite compact and yet capable of handling large as well as small sheets at ahigh rate of speed. The powdering device makes possible to apply the ordinary commercial embossing powders uniformly and economically in all conditions of humidity. The means for removing cess powder herein shown and described onthe is not required for the powder on the sheets but the complete the powder which embossing effect.

in the following claims it will be understood that-I intend to cover the sjecified combination of elements or an equivalent there of, and that'the claims are not to be considered as limited in scope except as required by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A sheet powdering machine comprising a continuous belt conveyer, means for depositing powd r on sheets on said conveyor. means for removing excess powder from said sheets, a collecting receptacle below said conveyer and means for returning to said r ceptacle unused powder comprising a. hood above said conveyor and a suction device con nected to the upper port of said hood.

A sheet powdering machine connprising a. continuous belt conveyer, a powder receptacle below the conveyor, ineuns including it hopper above the conveyor and means for vib ing material in the hopper :tor distributin,. the pmvder on sheets on the conveyor,

powder from suid recepnir jet means tor renioving excess powder iroui' the sheets, a hood, and suction inenns coi'niected wi h the upper part of the hood :tor removing; particles of powder from the oi r above said conveyor end for removing excess air to prevent powder from being blown outthe entrance and exit for the sheets.

A sheet powder-i119; machine, comprising: it torzuninous belt conveyor, at so tion hood extending over the upper run oi the conveyor, a powder receptacle below said conveyor having downwardly converging walls, a powder dischnr, device in said hood and above said. conveyor to distribute powder on sheets on said corweyor, means for blowing excess powder from the sheets on the conveyor, and means including a battle hetweenv the runs of the conveyor and extending substantially from one run to the other for preventing blowing oi? the excess powder out oi an end of the machine.

d. A sheet powdering machine, comprising a continuous conveyor, a powder receptacle beneath the conveyor and adapted to receive powder therefrom along the :tull length thereof, at suction hood above the upper run oi? said. conveyer, means in said hood for distributing powder on sheets on the upper run of sr' l conveyor, means in said hood to direct on e, blast downwardly end rozirwardly on sheets utter passing the pewder-distributing zone to remove excess powtroin the cards, and means including a tile between the runs of the conveyor and extending substantially from one run to the other to prevent the povder from being blown out through the inlet end ot the innchinc.

5. A sheet powderingr inuchi e, comprising u continuous conveyor, 21 hood extending); over the upper run oi the conveyor, :1 powder rece tuole below said conveyor, u powder disclnirpiny,- device in id hood and above said conveyor to distrlnite powder on sheets on said conveyor, inenns extending across the upper run of the conveyor for blowing; excess powder irozn the sheets on the conveyor, suction menus for withdru-wii eXcess air from said hood and u'icuns including an inclined battle between the runs oi the conveyor and means for raising tnclc to szud hoppe extending substantially from one'to the other out said runs for preventing blowing of the encess powder out of an end of the machine.

6. A sheet pow lering iniichine, conipr'sing a continuous conveyor, powder receptacle beneath the conveyer and adapted to receive powder therefrom along the full length thereof, it hood above the upper run of said conveyor, means in sui d hood for d istributinp, powder on sheets on the upper run of said conveyor, means in said hood to direct an air blast downwardly and rezn'wzu'dly on sheets tacle beneath theconveyer and adopted to receive powder therefrom along the full length thereof, a suction hood above the,

upper run of said conveyor, means in said hood for distributing powder on sheets on the upper run of said eonveyer, means in said hood and at the delivery side of the powderdistributing zone to direct on air blast downnrdly and renrwardly to remove excess powder from the cards and moons to prevent powder from being blown out through the ends of the machine including a bzifl'le between the runs of said conveyor and extending substantially from one run to the other and e bafiie extending downwardly from the lower run of the conveyor.

8. A sheet pewdering machine comprising awire mesh conveyor, means for depositing sheets onto one end of said conveyor, a hopper tor dusting powder onto the sheets on said (JODVGYGL','HKOEU1S for removing excess power from the sheets while on said conveyer, a suction hood enclosing the depositing and removing ineeus'and extending over the upperrun of said conveyor, 0. collecting receptacle below said conveyer having its upper ecges surrounding: said conveyor and having its side walls couvergi n53; downwmrdly and to one side of said c nveyer, a pocket at the lower end of said receptacle, a vertically disposed chute extending upwardly from said pocket to point above and to one side of said hopper, :1 distributing; conduit ex;- tending from the upper end oi? said chute across said hopper, and a powder lifting conveyor in said chute and dipping into said powder pocket and discharginginto said distributing conduit.

SAMUEL LlPSIUS. 

